As of late, the Skate series has definitely been setting itself apart from the rival Tony Hawk series with the focus on realism and local skate culture rather than larger than life tricks and settings. This is why the series has blown up over the past few years. With intuitive controls, an immersive camera angle, tons of customization, and realistic cities to skate in, the Skate series definitely has set itself apart in the world of gaming.

Just recently, a trailer for the next iteration in the Skate series, aptly named Skate 3, made its way onto the internet courtesy of the fine folks over at EA. Check it out below.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gWzmpenMGs

This time around, it seems the main focus will be on co-op play. Of all aspects of skateboarding culture, this is one that stands out most and seems like a logical step forward for the Skate series. You can definitely expect Skate 3 to have tight controls as always, but this time one of the new features that stands out most for me is the mobile filming. For a game that puts such a focus on filming and sharing your latest and greatest lines, they were in dire need of some way to mobilize the camera naturally and it doesn't get much more natural than someone holding the camera while skateboarding alongside your friends. If this is any indication, I'm guessing we'll also be seeing a much more feature-filled movie editor to go along with this new style of filming.

You can expect Skate 3 to acid drop onto shelves sometime in May of 2010. We'll keep you posted as new features are revealed.

How do you feel the Skate series is doing? Are you at all worried that it may end up like the Tony Hawk series it's trying so hard to set itself apart from?

Source: EA